A Stalker's New Life
by W. Vandom
Summary: Someone is stalking Susan and when she finds it is a young redhaired girl, the woman's world is turned upside down.  Mother Daughter relationship, not a pairing
1. Chapter 1

A Stalker's New Life  
Story based off of XV-Dragon's story, Stalker A Christmas Version

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Here's another story that is based off another of my favorite stories by XV-Dragon who has graciously given me permission to use. Again, I hope that I can at least do justice to the original and make a decent story though this will be drastically different come Christmas morning.

I also wanted to thank Bonar who has given me a lot of advice on my problems with grammar and punctuation. I've tried to use a lot of his advice when writing this chapter so I hope it reads much easier than my previous work up until now.

And finally, the rest of Hate or Fear will be coming up shortly, though Homecoming may get the next update as I am rearranging some of my ideas for Hate or Fear. I still have most of the next chapter worked out for it but the last part is going to be very important to the story and inspiration for the scene actually comes from an animated movie that I love. I am waiting for the movie since I ordered it to I can watch it again for maybe more ideas.

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It had been a month since Will found the picture of her mother in the attic when her father forced her to clean it out. Of course at the time she didn't know who it was, but quickly learned the truth. It was a lot of hard work cleaning the filthy room, though when she was half way finished, she stumbled across a picture of a beautiful girl wearing a cheerleading outfit. She had bluish-black hair that trailed down to her knees, deep dark brown eyes and a very healthy tan. The girl was beautiful, probably a model of some kind, but looking on the back of the picture was a small love note to her father from someone named Susan,

A small part of the thirteen year old girl wondered if this woman could have been her mother. It was not hard to see why the woman abandoned them if it was her mother. The girl was devastatingly beautiful and probably had a healthy life filled with fun and riches. Why would she want a drunk of a father and a worthless piece of trash for a daughter in her life? It was no wonder she abandoned them and ran off.

A small part of anger rose in Will as she looked in the picture. If this woman had stayed, or even taken her along, then the life of hell that the redhead had endured would never have happened. Instead, she was lucky to go a day without being smacked or talked down to. She was lucky to last a week without something angering the man enough to outright beat her down. There were even times when it was more like torture, tying her up and taking his belt and beating her until she passed out.

There was no escape from the pain since her father had too many contacts in the government. It was a hard lesson to learn, she told teachers several times about her life which ended up having her picked up by children services. They didn't help her though, they told her not to make up lies about Tony and dropped her back off by nightfall. She had suffered greatly both times as a result, being beaten into unconsciousness only being the beginning. He waited until she waked up only to start kicking her around as he berated her, reminding her that she was his property.

It was something that she was never allowed to forget, she was left by her mother giving him full custody. She was just his property and she knew there was no escaping it. It was partly the woman's fault in the photograph that Will found herself in this position. As she looked at the picture her hand started trembling as she fought back the tears. The girl didn't look hateful or uncaring, even the camera captured the love that was held in those eyes. They were the same eyes that Will had, though the emotions that reflected in the redhead's eyes were of pain and loneliness.

Could her father have been lying about her mother the whole time? If this was her mother in the picture could she have any feelings at all for Will and something happened? Maybe she was killed, or maybe Tony drove her away. There may be some flicker of motherly love in the woman's heart if she was really Will's mother.

The angry snarl alerted Will to her father's presence just before something struck her in the back of the head. Thankfully she was mostly out of it as the kicking and screaming began. She lost the picture as the man took it away and tore it up, all the while asking why she cared so much for her whore of a mother. The thing was, Will didn't know about a whore of a mother. The girl in the picture didn't look like one, but she had to ask herself why she cared. The answer was simple, despite being a little angry at her mother, she had always loved the woman and prayed that one day she would come back to save her.

It was later that night when she found the picture in the trash and spent a painstaking hour carefully putting the picture back together with tape. It took a little more time to find more information about the woman, but eventually found a marriage certificate as she was finishing the attic. Her parents were married in Heatherfield, which was actually not that far away according to the map at the library. She had found a place to start her search for her mother.

Skipping her homework while at the library to use the internet she searched through every thing she could think of for more clues. It was a few day later when she got lucky. There was a newspaper sitting on a table where she sat to wait for a computer. Seeing the paper sitting there, she pulled it over to look through it and was shocked to see one of the articles. There was a picture of the woman being honored for all of her hard work at Simultech. Apparently she was responsible for over eighty percent of their success over the last five years. She changed very little from the photograph, her hair was a little shorter and the look in her eyes changed a little, but Will wasn't sure to what as the black and white photograph has hard to make out details. It just didn't seem to capture the emotion as well as the other picture.

Making sure no one was watching, Will tore the article from the page and hid it in her pocket. She was edgy the entire time she logged onto the computer since she was scared that someone saw her steal the article. She was able to find the address for the closest Simultech, which was in Heatherfield, the exact same office the article stated the woman worked at. Writing down the address on a scrap of paper, Will found a place to start her search for the woman but wasn't sure if she wanted to risk her father's wrath. She had it though if she decided to risk it.

She didn't know what to do, but her decision was made up for her. Her father found the newspaper article she had hidden in her room, thankfully it was the only thing he found, but she was punished severely for it. She didn't even know why it was happening at first as she was grabbed as soon as she walked in the door after school. She didn't have homework that day and wanted to try and have some peace and quiet before having to del with her father very much.

She found herself shoved onto her knees in front of the coffee table and roughly shoved over it. There was already some rope around the base that Tony used to tie her wrist and hold her over it. He shoved the newspaper article in her face and demanded to know what it was and what she was doing with it. When she started shaking he roared and started hitting her before taking a knife and cutting through her shirt and training bra, yanking them off to either side of her body.

She didn't know what was happening as she laid there crying, trying to pull her hands loose from her bonds. He left for a few minutes before coming back, the soft chuckle he gave sending chills up the redhead's spine. The real pain began then as the man had gotten a real whip from somewhere, one laced with something as it dug into her skin with each lash. She tried desperately to pull her hands free, but it only made her hurt her wrists hurt more as they dug and burned her skin.

Hours later she woke up, her body in even more pain than she ever remembered. The bastard was sprawled out in the recliner, passed out with several empty boxes of beer and cans littering the ground around him. Thankfully he must have untied her arms as she was able to stumble away from the table and into her room. She couldn't stay there anymore, she had to get away. Dropping the destroyed clothing she tried to put on another bra. The pain was too much though making her drop it. Instead she just pulled on a loose shirt and stuffed the bra and a few other changes of clothing in her back-pack. She didn't have any money, but she refused to stay there. She was in so much pain, and despite being used to it, this was just too much.

The shirt kept sticking too her, but she wasn't sure it was from her wounds or perhaps the beer that Tony must have dumped on her while she was unconscious. She wanted nothing more than to take a bath and clean off, but she was too scared to. If he woke up she wouldn't be able to get out of there, and she had to. She honestly didn't know if she could survive that again.

It was with that Will left the only home she could remember. She was dressed in a loose baggy shirt, an old gray winter coat and scarf that she dug out of one of the clothing donation bins out back of a closed Goodwill. The gray sweatpants she was wearing was basically the only kind of pants that she owned, and her sneakers were falling apart, one of them even having a gap between the sole and the shoe part where it began separating. Thankfully it wasn't too cold recently so she was sure she should be okay as long as the weather didn't get worse. Taking the time to grab the old picture and the address for the business, Will hurried off into the night to hopefully leave her past behind for a better future.

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It took a few days to reach Heatherfield on foot, but she managed. The pain in her back making it hard to carry the back-pack on it, but her wrists were so sore from the ropes burning and ripping the skin. She was forced to sleep on the streets though, the chill night air biting into her skin as the wind just made it worse. She kept telling herself that she didn't have a choice, that just maybe her mother would take her in and actually love her. It was what she always prayed for, but unlike her prayers and dreams, she was going to her mother instead of the woman coming to her.

As soon as she reached Heatherfield the temperature seemed to take a drastic drop. Will started to feel sick but she knew she had to keep going. If she gave up she would never know the answers to all of her questions, she would never know if her mother loved her. She would never know the truth to why she was abandoned the way she was by the woman.

She found Simultech easily and watched it closely for three days hoping to spot the woman she walked all this way too find. She was trying her best to fight off the cold and the growing fever that she had picked up on her journey. She was getting worse though and she knew it but she couldn't stop.

Thankfully since she was in Heatherfield she found a little Chinese restaurant called the Silver Dragon. Each day if she went at a certain time she would find a mostly full container of take out sitting on top of the city trash can by the corner. It was still warm each time and to Will that was a blessing. She had to eat much worse at times thanks to her father.

The second time she had to run with it though as a young Asian girl coming out of the restaurant saw her and called out. She was scared that the girl would alert her parents or something so made sure to be extra careful around the place.

It was the third day though that she discovered where the food was coming from and was shocked. For days she had been keeping a close eye on Simultech to find Susan and here she was eating the woman's leftovers each day. For once Will left the food go and decided to follow, but every time she tried to call out to the woman fear gripped her heart. What kind of woman was her mother? Just what would she think about Will and would she even care enough to help?

All those questions and more ran through her mind as she followed the woman ducking into alleys to peer around the corner. It wasn't until a few stores later that the woman went into a small diner where the redhead was wishing she could follow. Instead she leaned against the cold brick wall of the alley and sighed, she was trying her best to fight off the effects of her growing fever. The fever was like a siren's call trying to lull her to sleep, but she couldn't do that. If she did not only would she lose the woman, but she felt that if she gave in this time she may not even wake back up.

It had to be so warm in there, a part of Will was screaming to follow inside, but she didn't want the woman to catch her. She was lost in her internal debate when the woman appeared beside her holding a steaming cup. She couldn't believe that she let herself get so distracted that she didn't realize the woman left the diner and actually managed to sneak up on her.

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Susan loved her extended family, her 'sisters' and their families were a godsend. They helped her get through times like now, the Christmas season with only four days away from the big day. It was a holiday meant for families to be together and show their love for one another. It was a time when Susan felt the loss of her daughter the most as that bastard who was once her husband had kidnapped her precious baby girl.

She hated Tony Vandom with a passion as he seemed to be able to find contacts and supporters everywhere he went. They seemed to protect him from being discovered as not even the best investigators Susan could afford to hire could find a trace of them anywhere. And those investigators didn't come cheap, she was a high ranking employee in Simultech, though she still had superiors within the company. Those superiors were why she was in her current predicament of having to brave the holiday season without a job.

For months she had been spearheading their newest project and had finally finished it. She had been spending twelve to sixteen hour work days for six days a week, sometimes seven, to get everything finished. They did finish the project, and though she refused to admit it, her body was exhausted. Her boss who seemed like a second father had threatened to fire her if she didn't take a vacation, and while he was joking, she was the only one he had ever had to threaten like that to take time off.

Now she was stuck with no excuses to escape her family's mercy, they had been making sure she had eaten every day while she was off. They knew she wouldn't exactly keep a healthy diet being off from work since it was her assistant that made sure she ate meals. After Yan Lin's lecture Susan gave in and stopped off at the Silver Dragon every day to not only help with the training for the new generation but to also eat. Training , despite not liking it much, was something she suffered through. The meal was something she didn't though as she took a couple bites to make her friends at least know she ate something. On the way out of the restaurant she dumped the take out container in the trash can at the end of the block as she passed by it on her way to look around.

With only days until Christmas, and despite the pain the holiday brought her, Susan window shopped while daydreaming about Wilhelmina. What was her daughter like now? Was she healthy? Was she happy? Was Tony taking good care of her? All these questions and more constantly ran through her head as she wondered if Wilhelmina would like each thing Susan looked at. Thinking of those thoughts made Susan even more saddened as she wondered just what kind of things Wilhelmina was into.

Susan was shocked and a little scared when she saw a hooded figure stalking her as she continued her browsing. Of course it was possible that the figure was just going the same way, but with her side job she could never be too careful. Quickly coming up with a plan Susan set it into motion, stopping at every other shop window while making a big production of browsing the window's displays. She wasn't though, she was watching out of the corner of her eye to see the person hiding poorly in the alley watching.

At first Susan's reaction was to confront the person since they actually looked like they could be a young teenager. Then again, she saw much worse masquerading as a young child so this maybe be something similar. Her gut instinct was telling her the figure was safe though, as well as her sixth sense telling her what she needed to do. Making her mind up she slipped into a diner and purchased a large hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. A few moments later she was back outside standing next to the figure who was leaning up against a wall breathing heavily.

"Tell you what, tell me why you were following me and it is all yours." Susan said while offering a gentle but firm smile to the figure. Instead of taking the drink the figure started shaking their head no while stumbling backwards. Susan was about to warn them bout the ice, but it was too late as the figure slipped and fell onto their back. She would have laughed as the figure acted like a turtle with the back-pack making it hard for them to get their footing on the large patch of ice.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked while stifling a giggle as she helped the figure sit up. She quickly pulled the threadbare scarf and collar out of the way with her free hand revealing a very pretty, if dirty face. The figure tried to struggle, but was quickly loosing as they didn't seem to have much strength.

"No...Stop..." A voice wheezed, a very feminine voice that sounded very weak and young. It solidified her suspicions of the child being a young girl that was around maybe twelve or thirteen.

"Here, drink up. You look cold and it should help you warm up a bit. Don't think you're getting out of explaining yourself though, because I'm not letting you go until you do." Susan said, her voice kind but firm as she held the cup of steaming liquid to the girl's lips helping her take a sip. Leaning towards the cup the girl gave in taking the offered drink, sipping it slowly with Susan's help. It took maybe five minutes for the girl to finish it, but she could tell the child felt a little bit better.

"Now would you care to tell me why you were following me, or do I need to call a friend I have on the force?" Susan asked, her voice still holding the kind but firm tone from earlier. The look in the girl's eyes were of pure fear which confused Susan while also making her heart break. No child should hold that much fear in their eyes at the mere mention of contacting the police, or anything else for that matter.

"P-P-Please d-don't…I-I'll talk just d-don't c-call any cops." The girl begged while on the verge of tears. Susan sighed as she could tell that the stutter was from the cold, but even more from the fear that was reflecting in her eyes. The girl's skin was very pale worrying Susan a bit, she needed to get the child somewhere to warm up soon or she could get very sick.

"Okay, I won't for now, but do you think you can walk?" Susan asked gently while holding out her hand to help pull the girl to her feet after the child nodded an affirmative. After helping the girl to her feet and steady her, Susan continued, "Good, then you can tell me where you live so I can take you home. You can also explain just why you were stalking me."

"I...I'm sorry, I don't have a home." The child said softly. almost too soft for Susan to hear. She did hear no matter how much she wished she hadn't. No child should be out on the street, especially this time of year. Even though she felt bad for the child she wasn't Susan's problem so why was she standing here worrying? Her only concern was Wilhelmina, not some street kid that was probably a runaway.

She knew better though as she pushed the darker thoughts out of her mind, this was a young girl who was freezing and deserved better than this. Susan decided she could at least get the child warmed up before making any major decisions on what to do with her.

"Come on then, we're better off leaving the explaining until after we get you warmed up." Susan said realizing the longer they stood there the longer the girl would grow even colder. Susan couldn't help wondering just when she would learn window shopping during this time of year wasn't a good idea, in fact it usually only caused her more trouble and pain.

The walk back to her car took longer that it would if she was by herself as she had to support the child. The girl was hard to keep steady the farther they walked as the strength just seemed to keep seeping out of the child. They finally reached where Susan left her car and helped the girl into the passenger seat before Susan got in the driver seat. After starting the car Susan cranked the heater to full power hoping that it would help the girl. Susan reached over and made sure the seatbelt secured the girl in the seat before buckling herself in.

"Guess I need to start talking now?" The girl asked nervously, her voice soft though Susan suspected it was more from being weakened.

"That would be a good start." Susan said as she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb where the car was parked. Susan could tell that the girl was growing even more nervous making Susan wonder what kind of trouble she was in. Was the girl running from someone? Did she steal something from someone?

"You're...You look just like her." The girl said while looking away from Susan, refusing to make eye contact.

"Like who?" Susan asked, curious to just who she looked like to make this young girl stalk her for lord knew how long. Susan's curiousness grew to concern as she could see tears welling up in the young girl's eyes. "Who do I look like, sweetie?"

"Like my...my mom." The girl said with a small sob, her body shaking a little as she hugged herself. Susan was shocked at this admittance making her pull over and try and comfort the crying child. "You look so much like her! I had to, I just had to see you...ever since she died..."

Susan gasped when she reached up to brush the child's tears away and felt how hot her cheeks felt. Quickly reaching up to pull the girl's hood completely back to feel the girl's forehead, Susan was shocked even more. The girl had a mop of messy red hair which made Susan want to think that this could possible be Wilhelmina. She quickly crushed that line of thought as the girl already said her mother was dead. Feeling the girl's forehead confirmed what Susan thought, the girl was burning up with a fever. Susan was very worried by how hot it the girl felt.

"How long have you been feeling sick?" Susan asked softly as she pulled away from the girl and pulled the car back out and toward her home. She had a bad feeling that things wouldn't end well if she went to the hospital so she would have to take the girl to her apartment to help her.

"Ever since I got here." The girl said, hesitating a few moments while it looked like she was thinking. She was looking at Susan with a little bit of fear and confusion from the question. "Three days."

* * *

Will shrunk back into her seat unable to believe just how fast the fever had gotten to her. Yes she was feeling sluggish earlier, but now she felt like she could pass out at any time. Thankfully she was getting help for it, unlike usual where she had to fend for her self and suffer through being sick without any help. Then again, she did have her oh so loving father who demanded she clean the house with a temperature of a hundred and beating her for not moving fast enough.

Contrary to her father's behavior this woman, her mother, was actually acting worried. She was too scared though to tell the woman just yet who she was since Susan was acting so kind and loving. Will couldn't help but wonder briefly if this is what a mother was like, loving and gentle while caring for their child.

"If you were sick for so long, why didn't you go to a free clinic?" Susan sighed while looking back and forth between Will and the road. Despite the annoying semi lecture, Will was beyond happy being here with her mother, even if she was too scared to tell the woman who she really was. She lied about her mother dieing to hide her identity because she just couldn't tell her yet, she had to know what kind of woman Susan was. Would her mother really care about her if she knew the truth? "Maybe you should have went to the police, they could have at least contacted children services and found you a foster home. Surely a nice warm home would be better than living on the streets?"

"N-No, please no foster home." Will begged trying to open the door when the car stopped at a red light. The door was locked letting Susan have enough time to reach over and calm Will down some.

"Don't worry, I won't call them for now. I do want the full story later though, do I make myself clear?" Susan said, her voice the gentle, but firm tone she seemed to favor when she was serious but caring all the same.

"Yes Ma'am." Will said as she leaned against the door while soaking up the heat coming from the vents. It felt so good but she still felt so sick. She was feeling so hot while freezing at the same time. All of her strength seemed to be leaving her as everything around seemed to spin off and on. Her head was starting to pound viciously though now that she was relaxing, everything seemed to start piling up and it's weight was getting to her.

After watching the scenery fly by for wheat seemed like forever, Will closed her eyes taking deep breathes. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe even if she knew she should be scared. She didn't know this woman beyond being with her the last few minutes so didn't know what would happen, but her heart was telling her to just enjoy it. Taking a final deep breath Will blinked a few times before falling deeply into the darkness, letting sleep finally over take her.


	2. Chapter 2

A Stalker's New Life

Story based off of XV-Dragon's story, Stalker A Christmas Version

Beta read by MagicalGirl23

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Well here's the new chapter everyone, I hope you all like it. One more chapter to go before the big changes from the main story take place. Actually, the next one being the ski lodge and Christmas morning will have a drastically different take than in XV's original Stalker, and Will won't be happy like she is in Stalker A Christmas Version.

I also wanted to thank my new beta reader MagicalGirl23 who has helped a lot making sure this isn't riddled with screwed up grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Also, I used a few references to the Oracle this chapter which I am sure I may have seen somewhere before. I can't think of where, but if it was your story and don't want me to use the references then let me know and I'll change them. If you don't mind, then let me know and I will give you credit, thanks.

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The drive home took much longer due to the holiday traffic and icy roads, but Susan finally made it back to her two bedroom apartment. She was worried about the young girl who was curled up against the door snoring lightly. She wasn't sure if she should make sure that the girl went to an actual hospital because of her fever even though the child begged not to be taken there. In the end Susan was sure she could treat the girl's fever for now until she found out more about the girl, such as whom exactly the child was and were the redhead came from.

Deciding to let the girl sleep, Susan carefully pulled the redhead out of the car after parking it, and carried her as gently as possible to the elevator. It was a little difficult performing a balancing act with the sleeping girl in her arms, but Susan finally managed to hit the elevator call button. A few moments later she repeated the process inside to send the car up to her floor.

"This is going to be fun." Susan grumbled in annoyance when she arrived to her door. It took a lot of shifting to be able to balance the girl with one arm long enough to slide her keycard. Thankfully the girl didn't wake as Susan pushed the door open and slipped inside. She was a little worried, besides being grateful, that the girl didn't wake with all the moving around.

Susan hoped that the girl was just a very deep sleeper as she proceeded to strip the redhead of her backpack, coat and shoes and placed them next to the couch where she sat the child. Deciding it would be better for the girl to sleep in something drier, not to mention cleaner, Susan went to her room and searched through her things before finding the perfect thing. It was one of her nightshirts that had shrunken in the wash becoming far too small for her, but it would be perfect for the girl even though it would be more like a dress on the child.

Before changing the girl, Susan stripped off her own coat and dropped it on her bed. She still had to figure out what to do about the child; no matter what she did she would surely have to get the police involved at some point. The girl seemed so frightened of them for some reason, but Susan knew Tom would only do his best to make sure the redhead was okay.

Deciding to figure out what to do later, Susan made her way back to the girl giving the redhead a quick look over. She decided it would be best to start with the child's top as that would cause the most movement. Slowly Susan began to inch the ratty thing off the girl's body, stopping when she felt something warm, wet and sticky on the girl's back. Curious as to what could be on the girl's back Susan leaned the redhead forward while looking.

"Oh my god!" Susan gasped. She sincerely wished that she just hadn't seen that as the young girl's back was torn up from what looked like whiplashes. They looked like they were healing, but from the way skin was red around the wounds, it looked like they were much worse before. They could also be starting to get infected which worried her even more.

Susan quickly removed the shirt and then the sweatpants all the while hoping she wouldn't find anything else. She did though, there were so many scars and wounds littered across the girl's upper arms, back and legs. It was a horrendous sight, one that Susan couldn't believe. She felt tears begin welling up in her eyes as answers began to formulate to her questions. The girl said she didn't want 'him' finding her, that 'him' was most likely the child's father and the way the girl feared the police led Susan to believe they wouldn't do anything to help.

Susan was very tempted to use her powers and heal the child's back, but then the bastards on Candracar would only get their knickers in a twist over it. Grumbling to herself, Susan went to fetch the first aid kit she kept for non-magical emergencies. Thanks to the number of wounds and how bad they were, it seemed to take forever for Susan to clean and bandage them. Susan couldn't even begin to imagine the pain the young girl went through, but it hurt thinking about it. Father or not, whoever did this to the redhead was a monster, plain and simple.

Laying the girl onto the couch Susan went to grab a pillow and blanket to help make the redhead more comfortable. Lifting the girl's head gently, Susan placed the pillow under it before laying it back down gently. She then took the blanket and tucked the girl in on the couch so she could get some rest.

She was about to go call Yan Lin when the heart lifted out from under her blouse and floated between the two. At first Susan was worried that the Heart was going to the girl as that would mean that it was either Wilhelmina or this girl was replacing her daughter as the new keeper. It would have most likely been the second seeing how the girl already said that she had a mother who died.

A pink light shot out from the Heart and covered the sleeping redhead in a protective shield of energy that made Susan sigh in relief while she also grew confused. Why would the Heart be seeking to protect the girl, they were safe in Susan's apartment. It only took a few moments for the answer to come as a large portal formed from violent swirling energies formed casting a purple hued light across the living room.

"Great, just what I need, Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang." Susan growled quietly. At first she didn't mind the council despite their whole no direct interference policy. It was when they refused to help find Wilhelmina that Susan began to hate them. She quietly admitted that the Oracle wasn't that bad, he tried his best to help out when possible, but the council kept him from saying too much. That little fact didn't stop Susan from hating the whole bunch of them with a passion as they were nothing, but bureaucratic cowards.

"Ah, greetings Oh Bald One." Susan said as she mock bowed to the Oracle as soon as he stepped through the portal to stand before Susan as she stood protectively over the young redhead. "So what is it this time? Come to command your personal gophers to eradicate some evil dust bunnies under the council's beds?"

"Actually I came personally to spare both Luba and Tibor your infamous wrath, and myself the headache of hearing the council bitch about you." The Oracle sighed, "Plus, no one knows I'm here. I can't tell you a lot, but I came to tell you something important."

"Well, at least you give a damn about some people." Susan snorted in a most unlady like way, showing just how upset she was that this man dared to invade her private space.

"Well, if you don't mind my curiosity," The Oracle said while ignoring Susan's outburst of, "I do!" he continued, "What exactly do you plan to do with the child? I can assure you that she won't stay where she isn't safe, she risked everything to run from him as he will most likely beat her to death if gets a hold of her again. She won't stay in a foster home, nor will she stay if you alert your world's police officers about her."

Susan couldn't help but curse silently as the bastard was right. Turning slightly she looked over her shoulder at the slumbering form of the redhead on the couch, her heart ripping in two. On one side, she was angry that the Oracle was pulling was even here or that the child had to show up. The young girl reminded Susan so much of her own daughter that it hurt. If she kept the child there then it would be like trying to replace Wilhelmina with the child.

On the other hand, she felt for the girl. The young girl must have been through so much pain from just the marks on her now. What about all the scars that were healed up and the emotional damage that must have been done. There were reasons that the girl feared the police, not to mention the man she was running from which Susan was sure was the girl's father.

"I honestly don't know." Susan said as her anger deflated. She could ask Elyon to care for the girl on Meridian since they had Phobos on the run. It would be the perfect place were no one from this world could reach her to hurt her ever again. Then again, Elyon had enough trouble herself without adding the burden the redhead would be to the princess.

"She has a great destiny before her, Susan. She needs someone to care for her, to guide her on the right path." The Oracle said softly as he took a piece of paper out of his robe sleeve and handed it to Susan. Looking at it the woman arched an eyebrow, why would the Oracle be giving her what was obviously the girl's clothing sizes in neat calculated rows.

"No! Damn you, how could you do this to me?" Susan asked as tears started leaking from her eyes. It wasn't fair after all, how could the bastards let her daughter go and now expect her to take this child in?

"I won't force you to take her in, Susan. You know I would never force you to do anything." The Oracle sighed, "I know you are upset about your daughter, you must think about her a lot this time of year. This girl has never had a Christmas though, don't you think that she at least deserves one just once? With people who care about her and will protect her?"

"Damn you!" Susan hissed out, her anger returning with a vengeance. This bastard was doing what he did best; he was pulling at her heart strings to manipulate her into doing exactly what he wanted her to. "Fine, I'll take care of her...For now."

"That's all I ask." The Oracle said bowing his head to Susan. "And one more thing, this girl has a love of anything with frogs on it."

"Just get out." Susan said through gritted teeth, clenching her eyes shut as the man backed away through the portal.

"Just as the simple act of becoming very close to the current Queen of Meridian helped you expose Phobos and force him go into hiding, so shall helping this girl assist you in a similar manner." The Oracle in a sagely tone before the portal collapsed in on itself.

"Damn you." Susan sniffed as the man's words swimmed in her head. As usual they didn't make sense, but at the moment she was far too angry and hurt to care. Turning from where the portal was, Susan checked on the girl one last time before going to her room to get some sleep for the night, but first she had some phone calls to make.

* * *

The following morning Will woke up, her eyes snapping open as she realized she was sleeping on something warm, soft, and sinfully comfortable. She felt a lot better than last night, but she still felt like she had no strength. To make that worse, the siren call of the comfortable couch was making it even harder to get up. She had to though, she wasn't sure where she was at, but she had a good idea.

Looking around Will realized that she was in a poshly decorated living room filled with expensive looking leather furniture, a large flat screen television and a fire place. There was also some art that looked more like a kindergarten student made them, but somehow Will bet that they were very expensive as well. The crappiest looking art always seemed to be the most expensive for some reason.

Realizing that she was no longer dressed in her clothes Will jumped off the couch before realizing it was a bad idea. She almost fell back from the dizziness, but thankfully she was able to catch herself in time. She stumbled over to where her coat was sitting on one of the leather loveseats and grabbed it. Looking on the inside she found one of the rips that looked like it was just a normal tear, but this one was special. This is where she kept her most precious items, her picture of Susan and the newspaper article. Thankfully they were still there and seemed to be untouched, but her backpack was clearly empty.

Looking at the picture Will wondered what the woman thought when she was bandaging her wounds. She felt the bandages on her back and it worried Will, every time someone saw them the police were called. Then children services were called and went to investigate Tony to be paid off by him. As soon as she got back home she paid dearly for being stupid enough to let someone see.

She was just stuffing them, back in her coat when the front door opened startling Will. Spinning around Susan stood there with a basket in hand loaded with what looked like Will's ratty clothing.

"Well, good morning there." Susan said with a bright smile, "Feeling better are we?"

"Y-Yeah." Will said, looking confused at the woman. The staring contest was broken when Will sneezed and almost fell. Susan dropped the basket on the floor and helped her back on the couch where she could relax.

"You know, I didn't get a chance to get your name." Susan said smiling a bit. "My name is Susan Vandom."

"My name is...Wilma." Will said after trying to come up with a name, "I'm fourteen years old; I'll be fifteen in a few months."

Will couldn't help feeling bad when she saw the woman's face light up in hope at her name only to sink into a depression after hearing her age. She changed part of her name, but outright lied about her age taking an extra year onto it so Susan wouldn't suspect anything. The older woman quickly hid it with a smile.

"Well Wilma, I hope you don't mind, but I took your clothes downstairs and washed them for you." Susan said, "And I have a friend coming over to take care of you while I go shopping for a bit."

"A friend?" Will asked, nervousness clearly in her expression as she looked fearfully at the woman.

"Yes, she's one of my friend's mothers and she said she will bring over some of her miracle chicken soup." Susan said. "I'll be going to finish off some last minute Christmas shopping. You, young lady, will be getting some rest while Yan Lin looks after you. I want you to get better, and then we will have a discussion over what happened to you."

"What is going to happen to me? What do you plan to do?" Will asked, sniffling a little. She really wished that the room would stop spinning as it was starting to again, and it was beginning to make her a little nauseous.

"Don't worry, you are safe here, whoever hurt you won't ever lay a finger on you ever again. I promise." Susan said running her fingers through the short red hair.

"I'll never be safe." Will sighed, shaking her head a bit. She was beginning to think that this whole thing was a mistake; her dad had to be having a fit right about now. When he found her she knew that she would feel pain like never before, but spending a little bit of time with this woman may be worth it. Especially since she seemed so caring, so much like what Will always dreamed a mother would be like.

"Hun, no one will hurt you. I swear that whoever this bastard is that hurt you, he is nothing compared to the things my friends and I have faced. I may have failed my little girl, but I won't fail you. I will protect you, I give you my word.." Susan said just as the doorbell rang. "That must be Yan Lin now."

Will sank into the couch pulling the blanket around her as she watched Susan answer the door. She wanted to think about the woman just said about failing her daughter, but the immediate crisis took priority. There was an older woman carrying a large pot of something, her face holding the friendliest and warmest smile Will had ever seen on a person before. No matter how friendly and caring the woman looked, the redhead could somehow feel the strength just rolling off the woman in waves.

"Just in time, Yan Lin." Susan said smiling as she let the older woman into the apartment, "I hope that stuff of yours can work its magic with Wilma here."

"So the girl's name is Wilma." Yan Lin asked, a sad smile crossing her lips. "Reminds me of..."

"I know, me to, but she's a year older." Susan sighed sadly as Will watched the two from the couch. She was worried about being left alone with this woman, but there was something whispering in the back of her mind that this woman was safe.

"Well, let me get this to the kitchen and I'm going to make our little Wilma up a bowl of it." Yan Lin said with a grin. "You need to get going, the girls are waiting downstairs for you and despite being your sisters they only have so much patience."

"I'm going." Susan said before going back over to Wilma and kneeling before her. "Don't worry, Wilma. Yan Lin will take good care of you. I will be back in a few hours so I want you to get some rest."

"Okay." Will sighed, nodding her head a little. She really didn't want her mother to leave, but she really couldn't stop her. A part of her wondered what it was like to actually get Christmas presents, but she shook off that train of thought. It always brought her pain so she didn't want to think about it. Susan kissed Will's cheek as the woman stood up and grabbed her coat and purse and hurried out of the apartment.

"I'll be back soon, Yan Lin. Thanks again." Susan's said as she closed the apartment door behind her leaving her alone with the old woman.

"Well then girl, let's get you some food into shall we?" Yan Lin asked as she gave Will a warm smile.

"Ummm...sure." Will said, uncertain what to make of this woman.

* * *

The mall was a complete madhouse with last minute shoppers rushing from one store to another. It was almost as if the entire world had gone insane as people fought over things that were almost out of stock. Thankfully with the small group of women splitting up they were able to quickly finish up just in time for the food court to be opening where they decided to grab a bite to eat and rest from the mad rush of Christmas shopping.

Susan herself left a lot of the clothes shopping to the girls as she herself went off in search of something special for the girl who loved frogs. A part of her wanted to finish up quickly as there was something about the girl that drew her to the redhead. She realized it was probably just some of the similarities of what she imagined her daughter to be like today and this girl in her apartment.

"Finally, I love shopping but this is crazy." Elizabeth sighed as she dropped into the chair, her bags dropping to either side of the chair as the owlish looking blonde woman leaned back in it. Susan liked the woman well enough, but the two butted heads on many occasions as the blond woman was a bit of a control freak and with Susan being the leader of the guardians, the earth guardian couldn't help being a little bit jealous.

"Yeah, I totally agree." Anna agreed whole heartedly as she rested her head on her crossed arms on top of the table. Anna was the water guardian and one of Susan's closest friends since they were little. The two have always gotten along very well, the woman being the one who supported Susan the most when Tony kidnapped Wilhelmina. Unlike the others Anna didn't have a career out of the home, she devoted her life to being a guardian, wife and mother which was something Susan envied greatly.

"Don't put your elbows on the table." Theressa grumbled, but she was too tired to really care as she propped her own on the flat surface resting her chin in hand. Theressa Cook was usually very passionate, but very proper at the same time. Unlike most people, the judge's glare could burn a hole straight through you.

"Like you're doing?" Joan giggled a bit; much like her element of air the woman's attitude could be flighty. Of course the woman had a serious side when it came to her family and friends, especially Wilhelmina. Joan had often sworn that she would ground the bastard up into ground meat in her restaurant and feed it to the neighborhood dogs if she ever caught Tony. Of course that would make the dogs sick by eating the slimeball so Joan really wouldn't do it. But however, the sentiment itself was nice.

"Are you sure the kid isn't yours?" Elizabeth asked as they waited for their food. Most of the restaurants there you waited for your own food, but they were so far behind they were forced to have their customers take a seat while the food was cooked and someone would bring it out.

"She's a year older than Wilhelmina." Susan sighed; they had already gone over that in the car on the way here. In fact, they talked a lot about the girl and the Oracle's cryptic message. The man could piss them all off very easily with his vague hints, but they knew it was because the council more or less kept the man on a short leash. He still managed to at least give them clues to help on their various missions, even if those clues usually didn't make sense until much later.

"Maybe she's lying about that, you said she was hurt and running from someone." Theressa suggested, "I've sadly seen a lot of children come through my court in similar circumstances and lied trying to protect themselves."

"Don't get Susie's hopes up girls, I want to believe it might be little Willie, but we have been burnt so many times already." Anna said as she looked up from her slumped over position.

"What about cueball's message?" Joan asked, "How could helping this girl help us like helping Elyon did?"

"I don't see why the bunch of you tease that poor man." Theressa said shaking her head in annoyance. "So he shaved his head, big deal."

"Don't forget the avatar tattoos." Anna piped in making Susan smirk a little bit.

"Maybe we should start calling him Aang." Joan suggested."

"Ladies, ladies, let's get back on topic here." Elizabeth said, "Namely what to do with our little guest. What are we going to do after Christmas? Susan already said she will watch the kid until then, but we need a more permanent solution."

* * *

"More please!" Will said with a bright smile while holding the bowl out toward the grinning older woman. She hadn't eaten this good in a long time and she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Of course she didn't exactly trust the old woman at first but they spent awhile talking, or mostly Yan Lin talking and Will nervously listening. After just a short time Will started to relax around the friendly woman and giggled at some of the jokes. One of her favorites being when she told Will, ""I don't bite, these old teeth of mine couldn't even chew mashed potatoes if I tried." Will really hoped that she had half the energy this woman had when she became that old.

"I'm glad to see you have a healthy appetite." Yan Lin said as she refilled the bowl and gave it back to the girl sitting at the small table. She then went about making another grilled cheese for the redheaded bottomless pit.

Will couldn't believe how good the soup tasted, or how it seemed to make her feel much better from just eating it. Every bite seemed to spread warmth throughout her body and restore her strength except that it was also making her drowsy at the same time. It was a strange feeling but she didn't care. Even back home she didn't normally eat this well and she was enjoying every minute of it.

"I want you to make sure you eat up and get better, we're going to the ski lodge in two days and you need to be feeling better for then." Yan Lin explained. It shocked Will a little as she didn't think that far ahead, were they really planning on keeping her around and protecting her? "I'll make sure to bring some extra skis for you to use, I bet Irma and my little Hay Lin will love teaching your how to ski, unless you already know."

"I've never been skiing." Will admitted as she looked up at the older woman, Yan Lin's expression honest and sincere with not even a hint of deception. A part of Will was hoping to feel better in time to go while another part was telling her it was a lie. That Susan might even throw her out before then even if it wasn't a lie so t would be a moot point.

"Well, my granddaughter and her friend will be more than happy to show you the ropes." Yan Lin said, "All we have to do is get Susan to agree to come."

"Why wouldn't she want to?" Will asked curiously between bites of the delicious soup, her eyes locking onto the two grilled cheese sandwiches that was cut in half as the older woman sat the plate in front of her. She never even had a grilled cheese before and she honestly couldn't get enough of them. They were that good.

"Well, I guess it goes back to her ex-husband." Yan Lin sighed as she sat down opposite of Will. "You see, her ex-husband seemed like a pretty decent guy, but he had everyone fooled. After they got married he showed his true colors."

"What do you mean?" Will asked, her food momentarily forgotten as she looked up at the older woman who was studying her, though Will didn't realize that.

"At first he would only berate her, but when she got pregnant he got abusive." Yan Lin explained sadly, "She left him and filed for divorce, but he held it off until Susan gave birth. Tony grabbed the child, claimed that Susan was an unfit mother, and he ran"

"Why didn't she look for them if she cared?" Will asked, she could feel the tears beginning to form but she refused to let them fall.

"Honey, we looked all over for them, for little Wilhelmina. All of us love her, but not as much as Susan herself. At first Susan refused to leave home unless it was looking for Wilhelmina, then she slowly started going out again...to work. She threw herself into work making enough money to pay for the best private investigators, but not even they could find her."

Will didn't know what to think, it sounded like her mother may really want her but she wasn't sure she could trust this. She wasn't sure who she could trust, the stories seemed so different from parent to parent, but at least Susan acted like she cared. What should she do?


	3. Chapter 3

A Stalker's New Life

Story based off of XV-Dragon's, Stalker A Christmas Version

Written by W. Vandom

Beta read by MagicalGirl23

WITCH

Despite a big chunk of this chapter being mapped out by XV-Dragon in his story, I still had a hard time writing it. The last part is completely different than his story though and marks the beginning of my original material for the story. I hope everyone enjoys it.

I also wanted to thank MagicalGirl23 for all the hard work she puts into beta reading and all the improvements and fleshing out she has done. It helps my stories a lot and I really appreciate and love her work, so thank you so much,

WITCH

The shopping trip managed to tire everyone out, but in their own caravan like way they managed to carry everything up to Susan's apartment to find the young redhead fast asleep on the couch. All of the women looked at the adorable sight, a couple of them completely unable to picture this lovely little angel as the shy and timid girl from Susan's descriptions.

"She is so much like you, Susan, she reacts the same exact way you do to my soup…she attacks it." Yan Lin said in amused way of greeting upon seeing the group of women gathered in front of the couch. "Have you been experimenting with cloning in your spare time?" She joked good-naturedly.

"I knew I shouldn't have bought you that Austin Powers box set for your birthday last year." Joan moaned palming her face at the bad reference to Mini-Me. Of course looking at the girl Joan had to admit that the girl shared an uncanny resemblance to Susan except for skin tone and hair color. The bone structure, the way she looked was almost identical to how Susan looked when she was that age.

"You know, Susie, she does look a lot like you." Anna said offhandedly, "Are you absolutely sure she isn't Willie?"

"First off, I really wish you would stop calling me that." Susan sighed offhandedly, "And besides, I already told you she is a year too old to be Wilhelmina."

"Leave her alone girls, I agree that she looks a little like what we thought Wilhelmina would, but there is no actual proof." Elizabeth said, trying to get the other women to back down from this in order to spare Susan the pain if the girl wasn't Wilhelmina.

"There is significant evidence to suggest that there is a possibility." Theresa said as she folded her arms and took on a scrutinizing expression as she stared openly at the pretty little redhead. "I mean let's look at this logically, this girl shares _a lot_ of Susan's features, has the same shade of hair as that rat bastard, according to Susan her eye color is the same as Wilhelmina's. Her age has not yet been proven, just what she told Susan and that could be a lie."

As much as Susan desperately wanted to entertain the thought that this girl was her daughter she couldn't allow herself beyond the occasional wistful thought. There were just too many coincidences, many of the same she had seen various other times only to end up being a let down. Her mother's heart had felt that pain of losing her child one too many times and by this girl's admission, she was a year too old and her mother was dead.

"You know, I can just work some of my patented mind voodoo on her. You know, point A to Point B kinda thing." Anna sing-songed hopefully only to receive a glare from Yan Lin.

"And what if she does point at Susan? Have any of you considered that she might be lying for a reason? I've seen the scars while you girls were out shopping, there is a reason she doesn't want to open up. It would be better to get her to trust us and open up on her own that to force her. If we move to quickly she may run away again, do you want that?" Yan Lin pointed out, her voice full of disappointment and a little anger at the lack of thinking over the suggestion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I...We just want to know." Anna sighed.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have snapped. I want to know to, but now isn't the time." Yan Lin said, before turning to Susan. "You are coming with us this year, right?"

"If Wilma is feeling better when its time, I'll go." Susan said, knowing that there was no way Wilma could be over her flu by then.

"Good, from the way she was acting she is already feeling much better thanks to my soup." Yan Lin grinned knowingly, "Why don't we take Wilma's gifts and that way they will be there at the lodge for Christmas."

"Nooooooooo..." Anna whined as the others giggled a bit. They knew she wasn't serious, well not entirely as they already lugged the bags around all day and then carried them all the way up from the car. Now they would have to take them back down again.

"Let me get a few things out first, she needs a decent coat and clothes. Plus I think I'm going to go ahead and give her one of the stuffed frogs I bought." Susan said, her long unused mothering instincts kicking in as she started digging through the bags with a vengeance.

The day spent with Yan Lin wasn't so bad, Will couldn't even help falling asleep despite not wanting to. Sadly she had dreams of Susan finding out the truth and sending her back to Tony, but not before punishing her. She woke up late in the afternoon and though she was scared a little, she was feeling much better.

"Feeling better?" Susan asked as she came in and realized Will was sitting up on the couch.

"Actually, I am. That stuff must be magic." Will said as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Is chicken soup supposed to do that?"

"Haven't you ever had chicken soup before?" Susan asked curiously, looking at Will as she sat down on the arm of the couch, as though she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Will flinched a little as Susan felt her forehead, but didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into the warm, comforting touch she had so long been denied yet after only a few moments it was removed and she felt a wave of crushing dissappointment.

"I'll have to go get the thermometer to be sure, but it feels like your fever is gone." Susan said smiling a little, suspecting just how "magical" Yan Lin's soup actually was. That was so like the meddling grandmotherly woman, she was just too loveable to stay mad at. "As long as you feel up to it, we will be going with my friends up to the ski lodge this weekend."

"Really?" Will asked more than a little surprised. She would love to try it, and from what little Yan Lin had talked about their annual ski trip, Will wanted really much to go.

"Yes, really. I believe Yan Lin said there was chicken soup left in the fridge if you're hungry. I can warm it up for you." Susan said as she headed toward the kitchen.

"Can I have one of those cheese sandwich things?" Will asked meekly as she followed after only a moment's hesitation.

"Cheese sandwich things...Oh, you mean a grilled cheese? Sure, just have a seat and I'll make you some up." Susan said though she had nasty thoughts running through her head. Most of them involved a lot of bruising inflicted on the bastard who was this girl's father.

"Wilma, I want to talk to you about something important." Susan sighed as she finished making everything and sat it down on the table in front of the redhead before sitting down herself to watch her eat.

"Shoot." Will said as she took a big bite of the sandwich, noting that it was nowhere near as good as Yan Lin's. It looked like the older woman wasn't joking when she said Susan couldn't really cook.

"Honey, I want to know who hurt you like this? Was it your father?" Susan asked, making Will drop her sandwich back on the plate in fear, her body radiating absolute terror as she started to back up but Susan grabbed her hands keeping her from running away. "I swear that I will protect you. No matter who hurt you, I won't ever let them hurt you again."

The sincerity in the woman's eyes almost made Will want to tell her everything. She knew better than that though, she knew that Tony would either pay her off or she would just throw her out for being her worthless daughter. "No, please no. Don't make me tell you. He'll find out and the pain will just start over again."

"Oh honey." Susan sighed as she brushed the tears out of the girl's eyes after getting up to walk around the table to hug the redhead. "I promise he will never hurt you again, but I won't ask again. Just answer me one thing, did your mother ever try to stop it?"

"She...she walked out on us, said I was just a worthless piece of shit." Will sobbed like her life had ended, as Susan pulled her tighter though at first the older woman stiffened. It took Will a few moments to remember that she told Susan her mother was dead, and choked out. "She was in the paper a few months ago, found dead in an alley."

"I'm sorry Wilma." Susan said kissing the top of Will's head while trying to comfort her. The rest of the night was mostly spent in silence since after she finished eating Will went back to the comfort of the Land of Dreams.

The following day was spent mostly in comfortable silence, most of the morning with Will sleeping and the afternoon with her watching television with Susan. At times she wanted to tell the woman the truth, wanting to say that she was Susan's daughter. She wanted this time to be spent as mother and daughter, not mother and street urchin. Still, every time Will tried to speak up she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

She was very thankful for the handful of clothes she had received from Susan including very comfortable pajamas and a ski suit. Susan had also informed her that there would be skis and ice skates at the lodge for her to use which excited the redhead bringing her out of her shell even more. She was looking forward to the trip though she was nervous about it at the same time. There were going to be so many people there, people who were not only Susan's family. But many potential strangers which terrified her more than anytthing. Even if by some miracle Susan accepted Will, she wasn't so sure these other people would.

The day finally arrived and the two piled into a brand new Cadillac Escalade instead of the car that Will seen before. Susan had said it was better for traveling in the snowy mountains that possessed sometimes treacherous roads in winter as it was a four wheel drive, something Will wasn't so sure that was quite the real reason. It didn't matter though, it was warm and roomy and it was the most comfortable car ride she had ever dad.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked, looking over at the redhead snuggling into the heated seat.

"Yeah, it's probably just a bit of the flu lingering." Will said, her voice hitching a little nervously as she looked towards Susan while averting eye contact. It wasn't the flu, it was that she was scared as hell about meeting all of these strange people.

"We won't be on the slopes until tomorrow honey so you have all evening to rest." Susan said, flashing a small reassuring smile at the redhead, but Will could tell that the woman was humoring her. "Of course, both of us will have to take lessons since I'm not very good at it. Normally I just skate. Well, unless you already know how to ski."

"I haven't ever skated, much less ski." Will sighed. It was true, she had never really had a chance to do anything remotely fun while living with her father. If she tried or was out doing something he didn't approve of, and he didn't approve of anything, she would severely be punished for it.

"We will learn together then." Susan said as a large cabin came into view, "We're here."

The place was beautiful, that was a fact. Like a living Christmas postcard everything was covered with glimmering white that sparkled with the luster of diamonds, the air thick with the scent of different types of pines. Whom possessed dangling icicles that threw crystal rainbows and danced with sound of little bells whenever the slightest breeze blew.

There were a lot of different vehicles parked outside next to where Susan pulled into the drive. As the two got out Will helped get the Christmas presents, once again looking over the names and felt a little put out when she didn't see her own anywhere. She mentally chided herself since Susan didn't really know her that well so there wasn't any reason to but her anything. Of course Will still desperately wished she had enough money to buy something for Susan for Christmas.

"Come on and open the door you bunch of con artists!" Susan shouted as she kicked the door with her boot scaring Will a bit.

"Aunt Susan, thanks for making my mom win the bet." A dark skinned boy with dreadlocks said as he opened the door, "And this must be Wilma?"

"Yeah Peter, but what bet did your mom win the bet for?" Susan asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Only that you would be the last to show up." Peter said with a huge grin on his face as he stepped out of the way letting the two inside.

Will cried out in shock as a hyper brunette girl ran to her looking over the packages. She has having trouble holding the packages steady as the brunette kept moving them around in her arms trying to get a better look at the name tags on them. Will tried to look around the armful of colorfully wrapped boxes to seek help from Susan to find her talking with some other adults who was helping relieve her of her burden.

"Just kick her in the shin if she doesn't leave you alone." Susan called over to Will confusing the redhead. Did she really want Will to kick the brunette girl? Will couldn't help shaking a little as she grew more and more afraid of what the hyper girl was going to do.

"Like she would, Auntie, she's shaking in her boots." The girl laughed making Will grow a little upset with the girl. Before Will realized what she was doing she automatically kicked the girl in the shin making the brunette dance around like a jerky marionette in pain holding her foot. Will felt bad about it but she wanted to hurry and get through before attacked again. Sadly with her arms so full she couldn't see and accidentally stepped on the dancing girl's foot making her cry out again.

Will looked at everyone frightened as several of them had their mouths hanging open as the girl fell back on her ass on the floor nursing both feet now. After a few moments the whole group started laughing hysterically with Yan Lin saying matter-of-factly, yet with a hint of amusement. "That should teach you to go mugging someone to see what gifts belong to who."

Will still felt really bad for what happened to the brunette though as Yan Lin and two other women showed Will the tree and helped unload the armful of gifts. Will felt like she was going to cry when she spotted a few gifts already under there from people she didn't know as well as her mother. She kept the emotion hidden though as she was steered to the couch with Susan, both of them getting fresh mugs of hot chocolate pushed into their hands.

Introductions were made and the adults, minus Susan who everyone refused access to the kitchen, went to finish dinner. The girls all talked some while enjoying a warm drink though Will found it hard to say much as she was too nervous, but thankfully the blonde haired girl named Cornelia seemed to divert a lot of attention to herself. At least until someone knocked on the door and Susan asked Will to get it as Yan Lin was calling fro her from the kitchen.

Opening the door her jaw dropped and she could have sworn if it was a cartoon she would have hearts in her eyes. Standing right in front of her was the most perfect boy she had ever seen. She had seen some very good looking boys before, but her father gave her ample reason to foster a hate to boys that weren't him so never really found any she liked. This boy was different though, he made her feel things she never really experienced before and she swore that if there was such a thing as love at first sight then this was it.

"Hi." Will breathed as she felt her face heating up, praying it wasn't as obvious as it felt. Though unable to tear her gaze away from the hunk in front of her. "Wow."

"You must be Wilma." The girl said, giggling a little as Will finally tore her gaze away with supreme reluctance from the boy. "We were told that there would be a new face this year. I'm Elyon Brown, and this lovable idiot is Caleb and his father Julian."

"I am not an idiot." Caleb scoffed as Julian smiled in amusement.

"Can we come in now, it's freezing out here." Caleb shot out brashly making Will's blush grow even more in intensity as she squeaked and moved out of the way making room for the three newcomers to squeeze in.

"Sorry, I can be a bit scatter brained sometimes." Will giggled nervously, her eyes drifting to the boy's backside as he walked by.

"It's okay," Elyon whispered to Will as she passed by, "He has that effect on girls."

Will couldn't help but blush even more making her hotter and very uncomfortable as Julian gently patted her on the head on his way by. She couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed, hell, she felt SUPREMELY embarrassed and that was an understatement.

"Are you okay, Wilma?" Caleb asked while looking on with worry, "You seem all red."

"I have to go help Susan set the table." Will squeaked as she rushed off as the girls all giggled except for a blonde who was mentally spitting daggers at the redhead.

Dinner was a bit loud for Will's taste, but it was enjoyable. She couldn't help from blushing at the knowing looks Susan and a few of the other woman around the table was giving her. She also couldn't help feeling nervous at the way Cornelia kept glaring at her in distaste. She was able to thankfully make it all the way through the meal without making a complete fool of herself. Yan Lin's quiet warning to not scarf down her food and simply enjoy it helped a great deal as well since she didn't look like a pig in front of Caleb while at the same time she was able to enjoy her meal.

The evening after dinner was spent in front of the fireplace with the other girls and Susan right next to her who she leaned into. Will had to admit that she never felt so relaxed and safe before. She was beginning to think that everything just might work out. She decided that she might just tell Susan everything, but wanted to wait until morning because she was just too tired to do it just then.

Sleeping arrangements definitely made Will's head spin as name after name was called out as places were discussed. It was hard for Will to keep up with everything as she kept whipping her eyes from one person to another during the quick paced conversation.

"Are you using the fold out this year, Susan?" Elizabeth asked making Will to crane her neck up to see Susan's response. "Or would you like to trade?"

"Yeah, I'm the only single one here so you all take the rooms." Susan replied.

"Well I'm single to, if we follow that logic then that would mean I should be sharing the couch with you." Julian said, his voice teasing making Susan throw a pillow at the man who quickly dodged it. Joan caught the pillow though and used it to smack the man over the head with it.

"Hey, I don't do group." Julian laughed harder as he backed away from several of the women who were ganging up on him looking a little angry, though Will could tell that it was just for show. Caleb buried his face in his hands and shook his head in embarrassment.

"You can sleep with me tonight if you want, Wilma." Susan said, "Go get changed and when you get back we can get to bed."

Will nodded and quickly grabbed her stuff before rushing off to the bathroom, though she heard Irma joke, "And here I thought Corny was the fastest one when it came to staking a claim on the bathroom."

_"Daddy, please stop itttt..."_ Will whimpered as she bolted upright in the hideaway bed next to Susan. She was panting heavily from the nightmare she just had of Tony finding her and Susan giving her to him just to be rid of her. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she shivered in absolute terror. At least until a pink light caught her attention.

Looking up Will saw the pendant she saw Susan wear one other time floating toward her, glowing brightly. She gasped, unable to scream as the cold fear was threatening to overwhelm her as she scooted away from the advancing light only to fall off the bed on her back onto the floor with a loud cry.

"Wilma!" Susan cried out in shock as Will got up and started to back away from the jewel following her leaving Susan frozen with a horrified expression.

"What's going on...out...here?" Elizabeth grumbled, her face a look of annoyance until realizing what was going on. A small smile took the place of annoyance as she rushed over to hug Wilma. Shortly after the others all came out and hugged the redhead, congratulating her and calling her Wilhelmina.

"Stop it!" Will cried out as Susan took the jewel back while giving Will a critical look. "I'm not Wilhelmina, will you please stop it!"

"Wilma, the only way that the Heart would chose you is if you were Wilhelmina or if you were chosen as her replacement." Joan explained, "It's okay, we won't let anyone hurt you."

Will debated telling the truth for a few moments before looking up to see Susan's expression. She seemed happy at first, but that happiness slowly faded away as confusion and anger took its place. If they wanted Wilhelmina back so much then why was Susan getting so angry? Was she mad at her? She was nice to Wilma, but if that was how Susan reacted when she thought the redhead could be her daughter then she must really resent that thought.

"Please answer me one question." Susan pleaded, a stern half pleading look in her eyes. "Are you Wilhelmina?"

"I'm sorry." Will sighed shaking her head.

"Come on, lets all have a seat so we can talk this out." Yan Lin said loud enough to get everyone to quiet down.

The large group of people sat down around the newly lit fire and explained everything to Will as Susan held the Heart tightly to her chest. Will watched the woman distance herself from the redhead while watching all of Will's reactions. Will felt like crying more than being scared over all the magic stuff as she watched Susan's expression keep switching from sadness to anger and finally to pure hatred. She realized that it was a very bad idea to tell Susan now after everything, and especially from the looks she was given.

After about an hour of explanations, Irma started asking if they all could finally open their presents and when the adults finally said "yes" the brunette and Hay Lin both cheered loudly. Will found herself alone on a chair away from the main group as she pulled her feet up on the chair hugging her knees watching the happy and excited looks on everyone's faces.

"Here sweetie." Anna said bringing over a pile of presents that had Will's name on them.

"Go ahead, open them." Yan Lin said giving the redhead a worried look as most everyone else was caught up in the other girls excitement of Christmas morning. Will just sighed and carefully pulled the paper off, the excitement she felt about actually having presents under the tree no longer there as she realized she was once again alone. The only reason they were keeping her around was because of this bizarre "Keeper of the Heart" thing.

It was later in the day after breakfast when everyone was heading out to go ski, everyone except for Susan and Yan Lin who was sitting in the kitchen talking. Will was supposed to already be out on the slopes with the others as Anna was going to teach her, but Will wanted to go back after her scarf.

"I don't want her in my apartment Yan Lin. Please just take her in, since Caleb is staying in Meridian with Elyon I know you have extra room." Susan said, Will overhearing it as she went to pick up her scarf. She was right, Susan didn't want her making her hurry quietly back out the door. Neither her father or her mother wanted her.

"Susan, I know you are upset, but she needs you right now." Yan Lin sighed as she put a cup of hot chocolate down in front of the younger woman and taking one for herself to sit in front of her at the table.

"I know she needs someone, but why me? I know she isn't my daughter, I want to believe she is, but she isn't. DO you have any idea how much it hurts to look at her right now?" Susan asked, her eyes watering up. "Her being the new keeper...you know what it means."

"Yes, and I'm sorry, it's tearing me up to, but that girl isn't at fault. Don't push her away, she's been hurt enough as it is." Yan Lin pleaded desperately with the woman.

"They knew it, they knew it all along I bet and now they are trying to replace her." Susan cried.

"Honey," Yan Lin said taking the woman's hands, "That may have been why the Oracle didn't tell you despite the council's orders. He didn't want you to give up hope that she was alive, but if she really isn't Wilhelmina then..."

"She's dead, I know that. I know the Heart searches out someone with similar traits, blah, blah, blah. I don't care, my daughter is DEAD! That is more important than Candracar! Fuck them! They can all go to hell!" Susan sobbed.

"Susan..." Yan Lin sighed sadly.

"I don't want her in my apartment Yan Lin. Please just take her in, since Caleb is staying in Meridian with Elyon I know you have extra room." Susan said, "I'll come and help train her, but as soon as that's over I'm leaving the Heart and leaving Heatherfiled. I can't stay there any longer."

"Susan, we're your family." Yan Lin said.

"I know, but I can't keep looking at the reminder that my baby is dead and never coming home." Susan said as she got up and stalked away from the kitchen.


End file.
